CROSSROADS

Today’s 1st reading speaks to us of Samuel who at that time was not yet familiar with the Lord. We see the importance of this story when we come to the so called crossroads in our very own lives. This 1st reading was the same not so long ago, in fact just 4 days ago. I shared about my son who was still undecided what course to take and what school to go to for College. We may all have reached a point where we should make major life changing decisions. No matter how good and helpful it is to solicit the good advice and opinion of others in the end we would have to decide for ourselves. We can not make others decide for us. We would have to own our actions and make the decision ourselves. Thus it is important that we establish a living relationship with the Lord. Only in this way can we truly listen and open our hearts as Samuel did. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20
1 During the time young Samuel was minister to the LORD under Eli, a revelation of the LORD was uncommon and vision infrequent. 2 One day Eli was asleep in his usual place. His eyes had lately grown so weak that he could not see. 3 The lamp of God was not yet extinguished, and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was. 4 The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.” 5 He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.” “I did not call you,” Eli said. “Go back to sleep.” So he went back to sleep. 6 Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli. “Here I am,” he said. “You called me.” But he answered, “I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep.” 7 At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD, because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet. 8 The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time. Getting up and going to Eli, he said, “Here I am. You called me.” Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth. 9 So he said to Samuel, “Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’ ” When Samuel went to sleep in his place, 10 the LORD came and revealed his presence, calling out as before, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 19 Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect. 20 Thus all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba came to know that Samuel was an accredited prophet of the LORD.

We should always listen intently to what God is telling us so we could effectively carry out what He wants us to do. We must not be distracted and dissuaded to do otherwise when beset with problems and difficulties. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M
Psalm 40:2 and 5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10
R: Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
1 [2] I have waited, waited for the LORD, and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
And he put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God.4 [5] Blessed the man who makes the LORD his trust; who turns not to idolatry or to those who stray after falsehood. (R) 6 [7] Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me.

The Lord entrusted to us a share in His work of redemption. He calls each one of us to have total dependence in Him. We have to work hard on our relationship with God. We must be able to come to a point when we feel the conviction in our hearts the way the 2 disciple did when they heard John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God," and followed Jesus. They radically left everything to be able to be where Jesus is. In doing so and following their example we find that our lives are never the same again. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 1: 35-42.

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them,"Come, and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Kephas" (which is translated Peter).